The Other World
by Potter says
Summary: They won the war but lost all of their loved ones and the ones they thought were friends betrayed them. All they have now is each other. But a visit from a stranger rekindles their hope. But they have to face the monster Voldemort who is more cunning and calculated than the one they have faced before.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**The Visitor**

**Author's Note:** I got this idea from many other time travel and dimension travel fanfics. This is a H/Hr story. This is a very short chapter. Next chapters will be at least 10,000 words. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All the characters belong to JKRowling and the publishers of the Harry Potter books.

* * *

Harry entered their bedroom, his footsteps lite, and a tray of food in his hand trying not to make any sound. He quietly set it on the table beside the bed. He wanted to treat his wife to breakfast in bed as today is her birthday. They made love all night long; she called it "The Birthday Shagathon". He couldn't help but smile at her antics.

He gingerly sat on the bed and looked at his sleeping wife. Her stunning breasts moving rhythmically as she breathed in and out. "How can she be so perfect?" thought Harry as he looked at her "And how in Merlin's name did I get so lucky" his eyes roaming over her naked form. He knew he doesn't deserve her, but he swore to himself that he will always try to make himself a better man for her. He would strive to make her happy for she is the only thing that mattered. Through all of his crappy life filled with hatred, loss, death and betrayals she was the only constant and the best thing that has happened to him. She is one of the very few who loved him for who he is. She even sacrificed her parents and so much more for him. He didn't understand how she can love him even though he put her through all this shit.

"Because none of it is your fault you noble dolt!" said Hermione softly but firmly cutting out his line of thought, "and you do deserve me and much more."

"How did you know what I was thinking?" he inquired as he was startled out of his musings.

"I know you Harry Potter. Better than anyone, better than you know yourself. I don't know what would it take to convince you of that Harry, but I won't stop until you believe that" she said propping herself on her elbow and looking at him with those beautiful brown eyes.

Harry just smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips and whispered "Happy Birthday love" and he took the food tray and placed it in her lap, "I got you breakfast."

"Oh Harry! Thank you!" she exclaimed and dug into it.

He was smiling and silent as she ate, thinking how happy she made him being here.

"You sure wore me out last night Harry! I never ate this much for breakfast" she said drinking the pumpkin juice he handed her over.

"I didn't hear you complaining last night" threw back Harry taking the tray and setting it on the table, "If I remember correctly you said 'More Harry! More'" he continued with a smirk as he leaned into her.

"You are shameless!" she said swatting away his arm as it tried to touch her breast.

"Oh but you love me" he said as he claimed her lips.

Hermione let out a moan as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth intensifying the kiss. Her fingers went to his hair as she pulled him closer and lost herself in him. They made love again. For some reason it felt more intimate, more beautiful and more satisfying than ever.

"I love you" said Hermione resting her head on his chest.

"Love you too" replied Harry running his hands through her hair and suddenly remembering something he asked urgently, "What time is it?"

"Don't know, don't care" she murmured into his chest.

He tried to reach for the night stand beside the table and took his watch which she bought him for his birthday. Looking at the time he heaved a relaxed sigh and absently said "It's just 10:30. We have plenty of time"

"Time for what?"

"Er, Mione I forgot to tell you, but we have a lunch reservation today"

Extracting herself out of his arms and sitting straight up she asked "What? When?"

"At 12:00"

Leaping out of bed "Harry Potter!" she almost screamed, "You are telling me this, now? We just have one and half hour. I need to shower, have to tame this stupid hair and get ready."

Taking her robe she turned to him and said "Out. Get out. Go and get showered in the other bathroom. And don't even try to argue. It's your fault that you can't shower with me" she continued as he tried to protest "Now Harry!"

He knew better than to argue with her. So he got out of bed and took the tray and went on his way.

* * *

"The food was absolutely delicious!" said Hermione plopping down on the couch as they apparated back to their home Grimmauld Place, "Thanks for taking me there Harry"

"I am glad you enjoyed it love" replied Harry wrapping a hand around her, "And it was the least I could do to take you out on your birthday"

"I love you" said Hermione tipping her head up and looking into his green eyes.

Planting a kiss on her soft lips he whispered "Love you too"

They fell silent for a moment or two. Snuggling closer into his chest she asked "Do you feel it too Harry?"

"Yes. It feels like something is going to happen. In the past whenever I had this feeling it never was anything good. But now something says it will be different" sighed Harry.

"What bad is there to happen to us anyway? We have no one except each other. We have been at home for the past 6 months doing nothing. I hate it but I don't want to go out either" ranted an anguished Hermione now visibly upset, "All our loved ones are gone or those we thought were friends betrayed us. Ministry wants us to work for them but what is the point of it when they still refuse to acknowledge their stupidity. I thought we'd be happy once Voldemort is gone. All I see is pain Harry. You keep the nightmares at bay. But..but.."

She broke down and started sobbing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around and drew her closer. He didn't know what to say to her. He felt the same way. Still, his heart said there is hope. He didn't know why. But he knew things are going to change for the better. He didn't know how. This reminded him of his childhood. He remembered the little boy who was starved, beaten and thrown into the cupboard. The boy who was unloved, unwanted. Even then that boy, for reasons that evaded him, never gave up hope. It wasn't in vain then and he had a gut feeling that it won't be now.

"Shh love. It's going to be okay" he tried to sooth her. He has to be strong for her.

"I don't know Harry. You have no idea how much your love means to me. But this is not the way to live. I thought we would change the world" she said her sobs now subsiding, "Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly happy that he is gone and relieved that you don't have to carry that terrible burden. But, at least we had our friends when we were fighting. Now we have no one. Nobody should live like this Harry."

"You are absolutely right love" he murmured, "But I don't know what to do. If there is anything to make this right, I would do it. All I want is you to be happy. There is nothing more important to me than your happiness."

She moved a bit and looked up into his eyes with shining eyes "Oh Harry! I love you so much."

"I know love" he said trying to smile a bit, "And I mean what I said. I would do anything."

"Even if it means fighting Voldemort again?" a male voice out of nowhere asked.

This startled both of them and in a instant they were on their feet wands drawn looking around.

"Who is it?" demanded Harry.

Suddenly there was bright light engulfed the room. It was so intense they had to shield their eyes and Harry stepped in front of Hermione shielding her. As the light lessened in intensity finally it settled into a human form.

"Who are you? Answer me" barked Harry.

"I am not here to harm you" the form replied.

"Like hell you aren't. How did you get past the wards? How did you find us? This house is protected by _Fidelius_" shouted an angry Hermione coming to stand beside Harry. "Show yourself. Why are hiding in the light?"

"There is no place I can't go" this stranger replied softly "No wards can hold me and I have no form. I am everything and I am nothing"

"That's it. Stop this bullshit. Tell me who you are" hissed Harry

"I have no name. I simply am."

Harry had enough and fired a stunner which simply dissipated into the light.

The stranger laughed softly and said "You cannot harm me Harry Potter. No one can. I am here to help you."

"Okay. Let's say you are here to help us" said Hermione cautiously "But who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is the offer I have for you."

"And that would be?" snarked Harry

"First you have to answer the question I posed at the beginning" said the stranger. "Are you willing to fight Voldemort again?

"What do you mean? Going back in time?" asked Hermione.

"You are a smart woman Hermione Granger. But that is not the offer I have for you" he said "You have heard of parallel universes, yes?" at her nod he continued "I have the power to send you to another universe where both of your skills and intelligence are needed. It is a place where your loved ones have lost you and will cherish you."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other at this offer hope rekindling in their hearts. But how can they believe him. What if he is here to harm them and just bidding time with some crazy theories?

"It might sound crazy but it is not my dears" he said as if he read their thoughts.

"Fine. But why?" asked Hermione.

"Because their world is in need of you. There is no one who knows how to defeat him. And they are rapidly losing their strength and the will to fight."

"Why does it have to be us…again?" asked Harry.

"You see Harry Potter; every world has people who are like focal points. You two are among them. It is the things that happen to you, the things that influence you and the decisions you take shape that world" the stranger explained "And these foci do not change with universe. Every universe has you. And it shapes according to the things that happen in your lives."

"What happened then in this universe you are offering us to send to?" curiosity gripped Hermione.

"It was in a way opposite to what happened here. Harry Potter was murdered when his parents were out of the house. So his parents survived. And without him to rescue Hermione Granger was killed by the troll in her first year."

"Wait a tick, it was Quirrell possessed by Voldemort that let the troll in. If Voldemort killed me successfully why would he want the Philosophers Stone? " questioned Harry.

"It isn't just your mother's protection that defended you against him Harry Potter. You are powerful, more than any other wizard that has ever walked on this earth. When he killed you in that world, the magic that exploded from you destroyed most of his power. He didn't become a wraith like in this world. He still had his body but lost his power and strength. His body barely held itself against the onslaught of your magic. That is why he possessed Quirrell."

"But Dumbledore brought the Philosophers Stone to Hogwarts only to test Harry. If there was no Harry why would he hide it in the school?" asked Hermione.

"Old Albus thought he could lure Voldemort out with that and capture him. Of course Voldemort proved to be too cunning for that and escaped albeit without the stone."

"Stupid Old bastard" cursed Hermione. She never forgave him for how he manipulated Harry's life.

"What about Hermione's parents?" inquired Harry.

"They are alive and well but with a hole in their heart with her loss" he replied "They are somewhat happy now as they were blessed with another little girl three years ago. And oh yes she is magical, although she hasn't showed any signs yet."

"What do you say love?" asked Harry turning to Hermione "I am thrilled that we will get to know mum and dad but what if we lose them again? I don't know if I have the strength."

"Assuming this, whoever this person is telling the truth" indicating to the stranger Hermione replied "Now that we know how to defeat him, maybe we can make sure they aren't harmed. Isn't this we always wanted, a wholesome family?"

"Do you think so? If you have the faith, then I am willing to do whatever it takes love" he said with conviction and much love in his voice.

"Alright then" smiled Hermione. "Is there anything we need to know before we go there?" she asked the stranger.

"A wise choice my dears. And yes you must be very careful with Dumbledore and Harry Potter you need to relieve him of the _Elder Wand_. You don't have to duel him to take it. Just will it come to you and it will answer you. It belongs to you" the stranger addressed the duo. "And this Voldemort has only 5 horcruxes. He didn't turn Nagini into one as he didn't have enough power left in him after he was stripped by you. He never reached his original power level even after many dark rituals. So he did not dare."

Holding his wife close Harry said "OK then. Let's see whether you are telling the truth or not, shall we."

"Good Luck. May you find the solace you seek" said the stranger as the both of them were surrounded by a bright, warm light.

* * *

**AN**: Please read and review and tell me if you like the setup of the story. I will update once I receive some feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: Welcomes and Stories of past**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All the characters belong to JKRowling and the publishers of the Harry Potter books.

* * *

There wasn't a pull behind the navel unlike the portkey or the feeling of being squeezed through a tube unlike apparition, but they could sense the change in the surroundings as the warmth of the light suddenly disappeared.

Harry and Hermione opened their eyes and cautiously looked around with their wands at the ready. The surroundings were eerily familiar yet with a touch of different taste. They were standing in one of the teacher's office in Hogwarts. They both relaxed and pocketed their wands. They were standing in front of a large desk that was identical to what they saw in McGonagall's office many times. There were some books, photo frames and other stationary on the desk. Behind the desk there were almost 7 to 8 book shelves filled with so many books that, Hermione couldn't help but heave a wishful sigh as Harry let out an amused chuckle.

As they looked behind them they could see the fireplace with sofas on either side identical to the ones they had in Gryffindor common room. There were portraits of some witches and wizards on the walls a very few of them were empty but most of the others were snoring.

"That's quite odd." Harry observed.

"What is it Harry?" asked Hermione who busied herself by looking at the book shelves and eyeing them almost hungrily.

"The portraits," he said "they are sleeping and the Sun isn't even down yet. True, some of them take naps during the day but usually at least some of them would be moving about, talking to each other and observing the surroundings. That's how Dumbledore knows what's going on in the castle. In all the paintings people are sleeping."

"Ah! That would be my doing." the voice of the stranger-who apparently was telling the truth-sounded from nowhere "I think it's best if Dumbledore doesn't know about your existence just yet. Once you have discussed things with your families you could think about dealing with Dumbledore."

"Yes, that makes sense. Otherwise that old bastard would want to control us. Thanks for that." said Hermione.

"There is one more thing you need to know Harry Potter. Even though the Horcrux in you is gone I made sure that you still have the gift of Parseltongue. I believe you would need it."

Harry didn't know how to feel about this, he wanted nothing to do with Voldemort but he didn't argue after all this guy seemed to know things "Thanks."

"And I believe the time has come for your introductions. This will be the last of our communications. I have much to do. Don't leave this room. The person you need to meet will be here very soon enough. Good Bye and Good Luck my dears!" the stranger's voice said.

"Thanks" they said to the empty space.

"I wonder who this person we are going to meet is" said Harry once again inspecting the place.

"Let's see shall we" Hermione moved around the desk to get a look at the photographs.

There was a picture of two kids on the right side, one boy and one girl laughing and waving happily at the camera. The girl was really pretty with black hair and brown eyes and the boy had red hair and brown eyes. They looked like they were just 1 or 2 years into their teens. As she looked at the other side, Hermione gasped looking at the two pictures, one is of a cute little baby boy with a mop of black hair and green eyes and the other of a happy couple. She took them into her hands and exclaimed "Harry, look!"

Harry, who took to looking at various things in the room, turned around and asked "What is it?" as he moved towards her.

She simply handed him the pictures and the faces of the people he always longed for greeted him, both sporting a broad smile. Even though there was a twinge in his heart he couldn't help but smile.

"I wonder who that adorable boy is" she teased pointing to the baby boy's picture.

It was strange looking at own childhood photo. "Hmm...Maybe he is all grown up and is available now, why don't you try and seduce him" Harry threw back with a smirk.

"I don't have to seduce him Potter. His skinny arse is already mine, now and forever." She stressed her point by pulling him closer by putting her hands on his bum.

"Hey I am not that skinny anymore" he argued with a pout.

"Maybe not. But it's still mine." She said with a serious face but couldn't hold it longer and she burst out laughing which set Harry off and they both started laughing as he hugged her to him.

"I think this is your mother's office" speculated Hermione as their laughter subsided after a minute or two. "And look you have a brother and a sister." She excitedly gestured towards the other picture.

"Wow!" exclaimed Harry taking it into his hands, "She looks exactly like mum except she has dad's eyes and hair. He is a mix of both of them isn't he?" He looked at the pictures for another few seconds and set them back on the desk and moved to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Looking at his subdued pose Hermione knew what was going on in his mind "They love you Harry. They lost you too."

"I guess so." He shrugged. "I am really happy seeing their pictures and all but I don't know how I would feel once I see them for real. What would I say to them? We both are practically strangers to them. We know nothing about them and they have no idea what we have been through. Technically I am not even their son. Would they accept me as I am or will I be just a reminder of what they lost? What if they don't want me?" He raked his fingers through his hair and dropped his head into his hands resting them on the knees and mumbled "I don't know Hermione. It's all so damn complicated."

Hermione sat on the armrest of the chair and ran soothing circles on his neck "I too have those fears love. Remember my parents lost me too." At this, Harry straightened and turned to her with and apologetic look and opened his mouth to say something. But Hermione put a finger on his lips and simply shook her head and smiled in a way that said she understood what he was feeling. "But I don't think all those doubts would come in our way once we meet them. You know I had so many doubts before we got together but they up and evaporated once I kissed you and you said that you loved me too. "

A smile graced Harry's lips as he remembered their first kiss.

"Sure, it would take some time for us to get to know them properly and it's not easy for us to open up to them and share our pain" she continued, "but I don't think they would see us like a reminder of their horrible past. If they are half smart as we are they would understand and look at this as another chance to get to know us and be a whole family once again. And remember _he_ did say our parents would be chuffed to have us back."

"I hope so." He shot her a grateful smile. "Anyway, why do you think this was my Mum's room anyway? It could be Dad's too"

She chuckled and moved towards the shelves and gestured her hands at them and said "It's obvious isn't it. Look at the number of books Harry. It's definitely a smart woman's office."

Harry gave her a mock-affronted look "You don't think a man can study as much as a woman? Dumbledore has more books than this you know"

"Yeah. Yeah. I am a sexist" she said off-handedly though there was a smile on her face as she examined the books. Then spotting an interesting book on Transfiguration she bent to take a look at it.

At the same time door to the office suddenly opened and in came a woman in her late thirties and spotting Harry who sat somewhat inclined to the other side she said "James! What are you doing here? I thought you were correcting the assignments. Are you sneaking up on me again using the cloak?" as she closed the doors.

As she came striding towards him, Harry turned towards her voice and she stopped in her tracks about three feet from him. Realizing it wasn't her husband she whipped out her wand and pointed it towards him and demanded "Who are you? You are not James."

Even though he was expecting her, Harry wasn't prepared for the emotions that welled up inside him. She was exactly how he remembered from the time in the forbidden forest. Even though she seemed furious, her eyes reflected the similar kind of pain he carried. He knew she said something and he has to answer but he couldn't utter a single word. He looked at her with a mixture of awe, surprise and shock.

"I SAID WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? ANSWER ME"

Lily's angry and somewhat loud voice broke him out of his reverie but still he couldn't engage his brain and mumbled "Umm…umm"

Hermione chose the worst timing to get up and spotting this movement Lily not one for taking chances fired a stunner towards her which Hermione expertly ducked and cried "Wait! Wait!"

Harry also shouted "Wait! No." As Lily turned her wand on him he lifted his hands in surrender "Don't. We are not here to hurt you. Please. You can have our wands too" he spoke quickly.

"Like hell you aren't" Lily snarled "You, what are you doing at my desk. Searching for some information?" She demanded pointing to Hermione who poked her head out a bit.

"No. No. I was just looking at the books. I swear!" said Hermione shaking her head.

Turning her wand on Harry and moving a bit closer Lily addressed Hermione "Now. Come out of there slowly with hands above your head and don't try to be smart or I will blow your partner's head clean off."

Hermione did exactly what she was asked and moved around the desk and came to stand beside Harry. And Lily got her first look at her and thought that she looked familiar but couldn't place how she knew this face.

"Please. Listen to us. We are not here to hurt you. Take our wands and tie us up if you want. But you must listen to us" implored Harry trying to sound calm.

"I mustn't do anything boy." Lily snapped. "And oh, _Accio wands_" and both of their wands came zooming into her hand.

"Now both of you sit down in the chairs" she ordered them. As they did "_Incarcerous, Incarcerous_" she bound them. Then she thought for a second and said "_Accio Portkeys_" but nothing came.

"Hmm…looks like you don't have them." Lily said. Then she took their left hand one by one and silently cast some kind of charm and as nothing happened she nodded to herself. "Now, I will ask you one more time. Who are you?"

Harry and Hermione exchanged a look and Hermione told with her eyes that it was time.

"Err… My name is Harry James Potter" said Harry with a timid look.

It looked like this wasn't what Lily was expecting and hearing her son's name righteous fury welled up in her "Harry Potter is dead" she snapped causing Harry and Hermione to flinch with her tone and the look in her eyes.

"I buried him with my own hands. How dare you take my son's name" her face was now as red as her hair as she shook with such rage that Harry thought she was going to hex him very bad. He almost laughed at the irony of the situation; his mum who protected him from Voldemort's curse now could be the one cursing him.

"This is the last time I am going to ask you. Who are you both? And if you won't answer I will squeeze it out of you in a very very painful manner" she said fingering her wand.

"Please we are telling the truth. He really is Harry Potter and I am Hermione..." said Hermione trying to calm Lily.

"Granger." Lily finished for her. Now taking a proper look at Hermione and remembering the first year Gryffindor who was killed by that troll. Maybe she would have recognized this girl sooner if she had the same large front teeth.

"It's actually Potter now" corrected Hermione with a blush.

Lily's eyes went wide for a second and she noticed the rings on their fingers. She eyed them carefully said "You are not good at this are you, taking the names of two dead people to fool me. Tch. Tch." She shook her head, "I am a bit impressed though with how well you transformed yourselves to look like them. You even added the factor of their aging correctly it seems."

"We don't have to be good at fooling as we _are_ who we say we are. But we are not of this universe. We came here from another universe" said Hermione a bit confident now as Lily somewhat calmed down.

At this unexpected reply Lily simply lifted her eyebrows and said "Well at least this one is original. I don't suppose you can prove that you are indeed from other universe, do you? How did you travel from yours to here? Wait! Maybe you have something like an 'advanced' TARDIS that can travel between universes." She said mockingly.

"We may not be able to prove that we are from other universe. But we can prove that we are indeed Harry and Hermione" said Harry.

"Oh and how are you going to do that?"

Harry turned to Hermione and gave her a questioning look and said "Map?"At her nod he turned to Lily and asked "Do you have the map? The Marauder's Map."

"What? How do you know about that? Did that rat send you here" she demanded realizing Pettigrew was the only one besides them who knew about the map. They didn't even say about this to Dumbledore even after all these years. James and Sirius thought it's for the best and she didn't argue.

"I know that because I have used it many times. _I swear I am up to no good_. And we have no connections with that pathetic coward wormtail." Harry replied spitting out the last word with utmost contempt.

"And I think it is best if you ask Mr. Potter, Padfoot and Moony to come here too. We can tell all of you everything at once." Hermione added.

"Why should I believe anything you say" argued Lily.

"Because we really are telling the truth and you don't have to take our word for it. Just look at the map. The map never lies." said Hermione.

"You can do whatever you want to if the map says otherwise" pleaded Harry.

"Yes. And you can call them but you mustn't tell Dumbledore" Hermione butted in.

"Afraid of him are we?"

"No, not afraid. We don't want to deal with that meddling old fool just yet" said Hermione.

"Look. We will take an Unbreakable Vow if you want us to. Just listen to us, and then you can decide what to do" said Harry now clearly exhausted and just want to get this over with.

Even though Lily was acting furious with them, from the moment she saw Harry she felt some kind of connection to him. Maybe it was just because of how he looked, with eyes identical to hers. And when he said his name was 'Harry' all she could think was this was exactly how her baby boy would have looked. Her rational mind was telling that he can't be her child, but the mother instinct in her wanted to hug him close and never let go. Now, though she has a decision to make. They knew about the map and nobody would be foolish enough to take dead people's names and Death Eaters didn't have that kind of brains to conjure up an alternate universe theory. But they insist that Dumbledore should be left out of this. Well she could see their point, the old man often tries to control and manipulate people to get what he wants. They are even ready to take an Unbreakable Vow. Maybe she could trust them.

Deciding that there is no harm in checking out their story she took a mirror from her robe pocket and said "James Potter"

After a few seconds her husband's grinning face appeared and said "Miss me already? I just saw you an hour ago. Well, I know you find me irresistible but I have to finish correcting these papers or else Minerva would have my head. But May be if you seduce me with the promise of that oral skill of yours which I very much love I would…."

His rant was cut-off as Lily said "Shut up" as heat rose up in her cheeks.

Hermione softly sniggered at this little interplay while Harry looked like he wanted to close his ears and forget that he ever heard these things about his mum and dad.

"James, shut up. Take the map, call Sirius and Moony and all of you come to my office. It's urgent. Don't tell anyone else." Lily ordered in a no-nonsense voice.

"Ok. Ok. I am coming, don't hurt me" said James.

* * *

It didn't take long for the others to join them as the fire place flamed and out came Sirius followed by James and Remus. Harry and Hermione turned their heads to get a look at the faces that left them during the war.

"Whoa! What do we have here" said Sirius looking at two people bound in the chairs and taking out his wand.

"Visitors from another universe apparently" shrugged Lily.

"Ooh. I wonder if they brought us any presents" said James clapping his hands in faux-excitement.

"Stop it you two. Who are they Lily?" asked Remus, always the sensible guy.

As Sirius came to stand beside Lily and got his first look at Harry and Hermione his mouth opened in surprise and with a smirk he said "Look here James. This one looks exactly like you."

"What?" questioned James as he hurried to get a look at this guy.

"Yeah. I don't know why anyone would want a face that's so ugly." Sirius said with a mock disgusted look.

"There. There, Padfoot. Don't cry now" said James patting his friend and handing him a conjured napkin "I know you are jealous that you will never look as good as me"

Sirius swatted that napkin out of James hand. "You wish."

"Enough of this. James, give me the map" asked Lily in a tone that silenced both of them.

James reached into his robes and took out the blank parchment and handed it to Lily. She took it and spread it on the desk and pointing her wand at it whispered "_I swear I am up to no good_"

Her eyes searched for the room in question and as she spotted the names of the people sitting in front of her, she gasped "How is this possible? This can't be true."

Hearing this, both the young people heaved a relaxing sigh. This caused Lily to look at them. Hermione gave her a small smile and her eyes said that she understood her feelings. But Harry, he somehow managed to look both hopeful and afraid at the same time.

"What is it Lily?" asked James as he glanced at the map and he stumbled back seeing a name that brought up all the painful memories back. He shook his head in denial "No. No. The map must be malfunctioning"

"What? What is it, you know the map doesn't lie" said Sirius as he and Remus moved to get a look at what caused them to react like this. They too gave cries of surprise spotting the names. Remus now taking a good look at Harry whispered "And he has your eyes Lily"

There was a sudden movement and Lily threw herself at Harry as her mother instincts won over her rational mind. She hugged him close and started sobbing her heart out. She didn't need any more confirmations; she didn't need an Unbreakable Vow. She knew this was her baby boy. From the moment she saw him, her heart reached out to him.

Harry was surprised by the sudden affection, but slowly relaxed and relished his mother's embrace.

Startled by the turn of events James didn't know what to do. He too desperately wanted to hug his son, but he stood where he was. He always felt that it was entirely his fault that Harry died. It was his duty to protect his son and he failed miserably. He failed his son; he failed Lily and failed himself. Even after all these years he couldn't forgive himself for it. He knew Lily felt the same. He tried to stay strong for her, but she could see through his mask easily. The pain may not be as intense as it was back then, but there is a hole in their heart that's never going to be filled. True, they have two beautiful children now, but Harry, no one can occupy his place. But now it seemed Harry himself came back to them to fill that void.

As he came out of his thoughts he saw Sirius and Remus both looking sad and the girl was crying silently looking at the mother and son reunion.

A few minutes passed before Lily's heart wrenching sobs subsided and she realized what she did and suddenly drew herself back "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me" she rambled wiping away her tears "I know I'm not your mother. But it's just that, I-I lost you and now here you are after 17 years. I-I couldn't control myself"

"It is okay mum" said Harry. Realizing what he called her, he looked down and whispered "I'm sorry."

Lily couldn't help but smile at this and said "It's okay Harry. I don't mind."

"So, do you believe us now Mrs. Potter?" asked Hermione "We can take the vow if you have any doubts or you can give us Veritaserum too, we have nothing to hide."

"I don't think that's necessary, I believe you" stated Lily as she stood up and moved towards James and hugged him.

At this point, Sirius cleared his throat everyone looked at him "Err…I know I am somewhat dumb, but Lily what did they tell you exactly? And what in Merlin's name is going on here."

This question was met by nods from Remus and James.

"We told her that we are Hermione and Harry Potter" answered Hermione "We came here from another universe and found ourselves in this office. Then Mrs. Potter came and found us, questioned us and we told her to check the map to confirm our theory."

"So, you weren't joking when I asked you who they are?" said Sirius turning to Lily.

"No. Well I was, a bit anyway" shrugged Lily "I wasn't sure they were telling the truth."

"How did you manage to come here anyway?" asked Lily tuning her eyes to Harry and Hermione.

"Well, I actually we don't know. You see, we had a surprise visitor and he offered to take us to another universe where we could find happiness." replied Hermione

"We didn't believe him at first, thought he was a Death Eater just bidding time to attack us. But then it became clear that he wasn't there to hurt us. He then said he could send us to a place where our knowledge is needed to bring peace and where we could find all the people we lost once. We didn't have to think much about it. We had no one except each other. So, we took a leap of faith and here we are" finished Hermione.

"Who was he, the visitor?" asked Lily

"He didn't give a name" shrugged Harry "We didn't see his face. Hell, we didn't even see any part of his body. It was just a silhouette of a person filled with white light. "

"But why you too?" asked Sirius.

Before they could answer Remus interjected by saying "Lily, if you believe they are not harmful may be you can remove their bindings and we all can sit and talk about things. I believe it's going to be a long story."

"Yes, of course you are right" said Lily and said "_Finite_. _Finite_"

"Thanks" said Harry rubbing his wrists and forearms as Hermione did the same.

"Now let's get comfortable" said Remus "Why don't we move to the sofa"

As they all moved to sit by the sofas Lily handed Harry and Hermione their wands back. But Harry shook his head "You should keep them until all of you believe us. I don't want you guys to be on edge for the entire time we are talking." Hermione also nodded at this.

Lily nodded and placed them in one of the drawers in the desk and closed it.

As they all sat in the sofas there was an awkward silence which was broken by James who has been silent all this time "How did you survive on the Halloween? Didn't he come for you? Did we do something differently?"

Harry lifted his head and looked at him. He could see the pain in his Dad's eyes and opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Hermione scooted towards him and drew him closer lending him the support. She knew he had to do this by himself, he need to share this with them. Harry cleared his throat and said "He did come for me. But you were there. You died for me. He killed you first; you didn't even have your wand. You left it in my room. You were entertaining me by making sparks. You warned mum to take me and leave. Then he came up and mum fought him but he was stronger. She begged him, begged to kill her instead and have mercy on me. 'Stand aside girl' he said. She wouldn't budge so he killed her too. Then he turned his wand on me and cast the killing curse. But it didn't work and backfired on him. He didn't know. Nobody knew why exactly. Dumbledore speculated it was mum's sacrifice that protected me. Mum did something, some kind of blood ritual to protect me; her soul for my soul." Everything came pouring out of him. He had a distant look in his eyes.

"He didn't die though, because he did something to escape death. He lost his body then, became a wraith, only to be resurrected 13 years later and die by my hand three years after that." He finished.

Lily and James were openly weeping by now holding each other and Sirius and Remus too had tears in their eyes. Hermione hugged Harry even closer as he buried his face in her hair and she was rubbing soothing circles on his back.

After a minute or two Lily lifted her head from her husband's chest and said "I found that ritual, a month after that happened in the Potter's family books. I was going mad and was searching for a way to bringing you back. I didn't know what I was thinking at that time. If only I had found it earlier…"

"It doesn't matter anymore love. We can't go back and changed what happened. 'What if's, they are like an abyss. We both know we have been in that all these years and now we are gifted a lifeline which can bring us to the light and I am not a fool to turn it down" said James wiping his tears away on his sleeves "I realize it now. I have been blaming myself for not protecting our son. But now I see that we did protect him and he is sitting right here with us. He came back late maybe but he did come back to us."

These last words made Harry turn towards his parents and tears welled up in his eyes. As he watched them, they stood up and came to him and embraced him. And just like Hermione said all his fears ran for the hills, never to return. Happiness blossomed in his heart like never before. He felt like he could produce a Patronus which can crush the entire population of Dementors like bugs.

They stayed like that for a few moments and finally his parents drew out of the embrace but sat beside him, his mum holding his hand and his dad beside her. Harry looked at Sirius and Moony, their eyes shining, biggest smile on their face, they looked overjoyed. Hermione gave him a watery smile and gently squeezed his hand.

"What happened then son" James asked.

This was the part Harry dreaded to talk about. He ever told only Hermione of his life at the Dursleys. It wasn't easy, but she made sure that she would be there for him. He trusted her to not to pity him but to love him, his scars and all. He came to terms with his past. He dealt with it. Hermione made sure of that. After that, he put that horrible life behind him and never wanted to revisit it. Now though, he didn't know he had the strength to recount that past.

Hermione knew this, she sensed him stiffening and his hesitation. She put her hand on his face and turned it so that he would look at her. "I love you and they will love you." Her eyes effulgent with love and giving him the solace he needed to do this. "And Harry, remember that…"

"It's not my fault" finished Harry. He nodded and gave her a heartwarming smile. He turned towards others "Dumbledore sent Hagrid to collect me from the house and Sirius stricken with grief and not thinking straight, gave me to him to make sure I was safe and went out to hunt that rat. He found him but before he could do anything that rat blew out the whole street killing 13 people, shouting "How could you Sirius. James and Lily how could you". He then cut his finger and transformed and escaped. By that time the Aurors came and seeing Sirius laugh hysterically, they conveniently assumed that it was Sirius and the fact that nobody knew that Wormtail was the secret keeper he was chucked into Azkaban. He wasn't even given a trail."

Harry looked at Sirius who was gaping like a fish and had a guilty look. Remus cleared his throat and said "That would have happened here too if not for me stopping him and reminding him that James and Lily needed us more at that time and revenge can wait."

"Well you are always the sensible one Moony, thanks for straightening me up" said Sirius.

"Hermione thinks that Dumbledore was behind that" said Harry. When everyone except Hermione looked at him with question-mark faces "Behind the fact that you never got a trail" said Harry.

This earned "Oh!"s from them. "I don't just think that, I am convinced that the old idiot was behind it" said a bitter Hermione.

"But why would Dumbledore want to do that?" asked Lily.

"Because then, he could control me and be the one to decide how and where I should grow up" replied Harry. "He took me to the Dursleys. He left me on their door step in the night with a letter saying that they should care for me" he snorted at this word as they did everything but that.

At this revelation Lily gasped and James let out a "No."

"He told me that it was because Petunia shares the same blood as yours. He said that that your sacrifice protected me from Voldemort and he erected blood wards around the house based on it and they can't be breached as long as I call that place home or until I come of age" informed Harry "Well, she took me in alright but she never cared for me. They starved me, beat me and made me do all the chores for them. From the time I could reach the stove I cooked for them, but all they fed me was scraps and leftovers."

He let out a mirthless laugh and said "Well, when you have two whales like Vernon and Dudley in the family there wouldn't be much food left anyway. They told me you both were drunks and died in a car accident. And then you left me, a good for nothing freak, to them to care for. I didn't even know what my name was until I joined the school. I lived in the cupboard under the stairs until my Hogwarts letter came. I wasn't allowed to get better grades than Dudley. The first time I did better than him, Vernon made sure I didn't eat dinner for a month. Dudley and his friends enjoyed beating me up and when I accidentally did magic and ended up on the school roof; I was given a thorough lashing and was chucked into the cupboard for a week."

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, Petunia hated her but to abuse a child who did nothing wrong, she didn't know her sister was capable of such things. Tears were falling from her eyes as she listened to all the horrible things her son has endured.

James was horrified at the things he was hearing. How anyone can be so cruel he didn't know. Sirius and Remus looked murderous.

"It was only after my Hogwarts letter came that I was given the second bedroom Dudley used for all his broken things. It was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. They thought that "the freaks" and were afraid. Vernon didn't want me to go and he burned the letter even before I read it. Anyway after a day Dumbledore sent Hagrid to deliver the letter to me and take me shopping." Harry laughed as he remembered that night "He scared the hell out of the Dursleys and gave a tail to Dudley. It was he who told me that I was a wizard and told me about you and how you really died. Hogwarts was the first place where I felt home and it was the first time I was ever happy. It's the place where I found friendship and love." He said and looked at Hermione with a smile.

"I am sorry, I am so sorry" cried Lily hugging her son close.

"It's not your fault mum." Harry soothed her "It was Dumbledore's. He knew how I would be treated there and still left me with them."

"But why would Dumbledore do that? What would he gain by subjecting you to abuse" asked Remus.

This time it was Hermione who answered the question. "It's because he wanted Harry to be emotionally weak, so that he can manipulate him easily. And he succeeded in it. He made sure that Harry came to only him for answers." Hermione was spitting fire now "And he did all this for when the time comes Harry would sacrifice himself and this stupid indeed did exactly that" she said punching Harry's arm.

"What do you mean by Harry sacrificed himself?" questioned an enraged James.

"He died" said Hermione her brain replayed that event. She died too when she saw Harry's limp body in Hagrid's arms. She never wanted to experience the hollowness that her heart felt in that moment.

"What?" shouted everyone.

"Yes. He literally died. He went and surrendered to Voldemort." Hermione informed them.

"But…But…then" stuttered Sirius.

"Well, it's somewhat complicated. It was because of Voldemort's foolishness and ignorance that Harry could come back from the dead as it is" explained Hermione. "And you better not do something like that ever again Harry Potter or I swear I am going to be so mad" she threatened Harry poking his chest with a finger.

At her threat Harry flashed her one of his lopsided grins as everyone let out a chuckle.

"You said Voldemort died by your hand" inquired Remus who has been silent through all this "So you know how to defeat him?"

"Yes" nodded Harry. "Well, we were lucky most of the time finding the things to make him vulnerable, but yes we know how to defeat him. He really went too far to achieve immortality. Even if we find those things again and destroy them he still is a formidable enemy but then he can be killed just like all of us."

"What are these _things _Harry" asked his mother.

"They are the most vile and loathsome pieces of magic" answered Harry. "They are called Horcruxes" he whispered "They contain parts of his soul"

"Parts of his soul" exclaimed a horrified Sirius. "But how can anyone split their soul?"

"To create a Horcrux you have to commit the most supreme act of evil. You have to murder someone in cold blood" explained Hermione her face clearly expressing the disgust "This rips our soul apart and then using a spell you transfer it into an object where it can be stored. _**Secrets of Darkest Arts **_has a step by step instruction on how to create one. It's the most horrible book I have ever read."

"Well he _is_ despicable enough to dab in such things, the bastard" cursed Sirius.

"So you know where this object is then" asked James.

"Not just one Dad" said Harry "From where I came he created seven of them"

This elicited outcries from the foursome. Lily's grip on Harry's hand now became so hard she almost cut-off the blood flow.

"Of course the seventh one he created accidentally and never knew about it. Even I came to know about it at the end" continued Harry. At their question-mark faces, he lifted his hair and showed them his lightning-bolt scar.

"NO!" cried Lily as she drew him into her arms and managed to squeeze the life out of him.

"That's how you survived" said James connecting the dots.

"Yes" confirmed Harry "Here though we were informed that he managed to make only 5 of them and I have no idea how we are gonna find them. But I promise you we will find them and we will defeat him."

"Do you know where they are?" Lily questioned.

"We know where four of them are" nodded Harry "And I strongly suspect the other one is with Lucius Malfoy, but I am not sure."

"Well, you might be right. After all, it is common knowledge that Voldemort lives at Malfoy Manor" agreed James.

"Yeah" sighed Harry and as he thought about their time at Malfoy Manor his eyes swiveled to Hermione. She gave him a small smile letting him know that she is alright. He could never forget her screams.

This didn't go unnoticed by the others, but they didn't push it. It looked like they faced some horrible things in their past and they would share those things when they are ready.

Turning to Sirius Harry asked "Are you still the owner of Grimmauld Place?"

"Yes. That's one of our secret places in London. It comes in handy when there is a fight in the city and we have to get to a safe place quickly. How do you know about that place" asked a surprised Sirius.

"Later" Harry waved off the question. "One of the Horcruxes is in there and Kreacher knows about it. Your brother Regulus gave it to him and told him to destroy it and he died while getting it from the place where Voldemort hid it."

"What?" exclaimed Sirius "Regulus was a Death Eater Harry. How come he turned on Voldemort?"

"Well, he was a Death Eater but when he realized how far Voldemort has gone into the dark he realized his mistake and tried to make amends."

"Wow! I never knew. When he disappeared everyone thought he somehow died in one of the fights. I suppose I should be happy that at least one other person has turned out to be okay in my family" said Sirius sighing sadly.

"Well, that's one of them and the others?" James enquired

"There is one at Voldemort's Mum's home in Little Hangleton, one is in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts and there is one in here at Hogwarts" Hermione answered.

"In Hogwarts" James was surprised. "Why would he hide something so valuable in a place where Dumbledore is? And where in the castle did he hide it?"

"He selected these containers very carefully and hid them in the places which meant something to him." Harry explained "Each one of them is a relic. He selected one each from the founders. He managed only three of them though. One is Rowena Ravenclaw's Tiara, the second is a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin, the third is Helga Hufflepuff's cup and the fourth one is a family ring passed onto his mum's father Marvolo Gaunt." He scoffed at Voldemort's ignorance about the ring "The final one is his own diary when he was student here."

"He was obsessed with his lineage. He thought himself as the Slytherin's heir as it has been long time since someone spoke Parseltounge. He hates being given a muggle's name and that's why he changed it to Voldemort. He thought there were many Toms. He always viewed himself as special and above everyone else. He had a great control over his magic even when he was a child. When Dumbledore first went to give him his Hogwarts letter he told him that he could make things happen to people if he wanted to. He made the first Horcrux when he was still in school. You wouldn't believe who he murdered for that." All four of them looked really anxious now. He remembered his really weird encounters with that person. "It's Moaning Myrtle." And as he expected there were cries of surprise. "She is also a muggleborn. And there is a reason why she haunts that particular loo. Any guesses? No. Let me tell you then, I know you would be as surprised as I was when I found out about it. That loo has the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets"

"What?"

"Really?"

"I thought it was just some myth"

"No. It's not a myth. Slytherin really built a secret chamber and there really is a monster inside it. Though we don't know how Voldemort knew about it but he found it and as he was a parselmouth he could control the monster." Hermione answered them "And the monster is a Basilisk. And when Myrtle was in one of the stalls in the loo crying, Riddle came and summoned the Basilisk and ordered it to kill her. Myrtle came out of the stall shouting to leave her alone but as she looked at the Basilisk she was dead."

"One monster controlling the other and ordering it to kill people" Lily was furious and disgusted by the things he had done.

"When we were in the second year Lucius Malfoy slipped that diary Horcrux into Ginny Weasly's school books and as she wrote in it without knowing what it was Riddle controlled her and again opened the Chamber setting the Basilisk on students again. Fortunately no one was killed. Some of the students were petrified including Hermione" Her unmoving form flashed through his mind. He put his hand on her shoulder and hugged her to him.

"And Harry once again was the one who came to the rescue. When Riddle took Ginny to the Chamber and was feeding off of her soul to come back Harry found about it and fought with the Basilisk and killed it and rescued her."

"Not without your help I didn't" Harry reminded.

"You killed a Basilisk" Lily was shocked and horrified "But they are very big at least 50 feet. How did you manage it and what the hell was Dumbledore doing all this time?"

"Well, I killed it with Gryffindor's sword. Fawkes brought me the Sorting Hat and when I needed Gryffindor's sword emerged from it. That was one of the many times Dumbledore failed to do anything about a problem and it will take me a long time to list all of those incidents."

"Wow! Nobody has seen the Gryffindor's sword in ages" mentioned James.

"But couldn't you have used a rooster" Remus said not understanding why they had to fight the Basilisk when there is an easy way "Didn't you know crowing of a rooster is fatal to the Basilisk?"

"Yeah, he could have but Ginny possessed by Voldemort killed all the roosters in and around Hogwarts" clarified Hermione. "And Harry almost died in that fight. That Basilisk bit him and if not for Fawkes he would have. You know Phoenix tears are the only antidote to Basilisk's venom."

The foursome simply stared at Harry and Hermione in shock and wonder. James shook his head disbelievingly "What kind of a messed up shit you were in son. 12 year old kids are not meant to fight monsters. It's the job of teachers to protect the students not the other way around."

"I am so sorry we weren't there" Lily cried.

"It wasn't your fault mum" Harry comforted her patting her hand.

"Well, that's just the tip of an iceberg in listing the kind of things he had to face. The time he faced a Dragon I almost died from hyperventilating" scowled Hermione.

"A Dragon!" Lily shrieked "No, don't tell me now. I don't think I can take any more of these life and death situations."

"Actually there is a problem that even if we find all of the Horcruxes destroying them is not easy. There are only few things that could damage a Horcrux beyond repair. We got lucky before that Gryffindor's sword was imbued with Basilisk's venom when I stabbed it and gave the sword the power to destroy a Horcrux. Now though, even if the Gryffindor's sword materializes again we can't use it" Harry pointed out.

"Aren't there any other ways to destroy them?" asked Lily.

Harry looked at Hermione as she was the expert "Well, _Fiendfyre_ can also destroy it. But I don't think me or Harry have the skill to control it and I saw what it can do if one can't control it."

"Let's just focus on acquiring them first. Then I am sure we could find a way" said Remus.

Everyone murmured their agreements. "Enough about our stuff. How are things here with Voldemort and the war" Harry asked.

"I am afraid it's not that good" replied Remus.

"That's an understatement Moony. Before that day he and his Death Eaters used to be bold and direct. They used to attack people who defied him and kill them" James said "After he lost his powers he became more artful and calculating. He went into hiding after that night and nobody except his innermost circle knew where he was. Even that crazy bitch Bellatrix stopped coming out and torturing people left and right. There were whispers of him going to some far lands to acquire knowledge of the darkest rituals to regain his power. Aurors arrested some of the low ranking Death Eaters like Karkaroff, Travers, Mulciber, and Rookwood. Indeed it was Karkaroff who struck a deal with the ministry and gave up Rookwood. Of course he also named Barty's son but nobody could find him as he was one among the people that went with Voldemort into hiding. And then some of the scum like Malfoy, Yaxley, Mcnair, Crabbe and Goyle escaped by claiming they were under the Imperious and also because they buttered up some of the purebloods on the Wizengamot. There were no incidents for ten long years; at least that's what everyone thought. Voldemort only resurfaced in 1991 to steal the Philosopher's stone."

Lily snorted disgustedly at this. "I still can't understand what the old man was thinking. None of the Order knew about it being hid the school and neither the staff. Putting the life of children at risk just for drawing him out, that's just foolishness at its peak. I have never seen Minerva and Filius get that mad before. She was absolutely livid having lost you" Lily gestured to Hermione "Minerva and I were the one to inform your parents about that and I still can't forget their faces when they saw your body. I knew how they felt having lost Harry and I still visit them often. Thank Merlin they didn't become averse to magic itself. They are very smart people." She dabbed her eyes on her sleeves. "You have sister now you know. I am fairly confident that she is also magical though there wasn't any incident until now. I was so happy when your mother told me she was pregnant. She is such a beautiful child full of life and fills their hearts with so much joy. But they still miss you very much. I can see it their eyes. Wait until they see you. Just like James and I they will say that their life is complete now."

Hermione cried thinking about how they must have felt when she died. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Harry took her face into his hands wiped them away with his thumbs and saying with his eyes that "We are alright now. We got them back". Hermione nodded as she gave him a watery smile.

"After that he went back into hiding" James continued his account of past "and again people started disappearing just like before the first war. It wasn't until 95 that he did something to gain attention. The ministry for some unknown reason wanted to send some kind of message saying that all was well and to show their superiority revived the Tri-wizard tournament after almost 200 years. That fool Fudge always one for lapping up the attention approved it readily. Tournament itself went well, of course with its usual danger and madness. But everything went straight to hell just after the third task was completed. It all started so suddenly, before anyone could realize what was happening those sickly green curses were flying left and right killing so many people, students, parents, innocent people. He was there, he didn't kill anyone. He just stood there and watched, his cold red eyes feasting on the deaths of people. It ended as soon as it began. As more aurors came they retreated. He just wanted to remind the people about what he is capable of; he wanted to rekindle fear in their hearts."

"Within three months he broke his buddies out of Azkaban. Dumbledore warned that idiot Fudge to remove the Dementors from Azkaban but he didn't listen. Voldemort could always promise them many people to give a sweet kiss, why would they be under the control where they can't get any. Even after gathering all his minions there were no bold attacks and still there aren't any. This scares people even more and he wants just this. And when he does attack the people would have already be weakened in spirit and it becomes very easy to crush them. We have reliable information that he has been gathering forces even from outside Britain. There are reports that he is also using some of the muggleborns by placing them under the imperious to do his dirty work. This has become a serious problem for us during the fights. We don't know who is under the spell and who is not when we encounter some new faces. And the Death Eaters are taking advantage of these situations killing many of our people. One thing which we have long suspected but couldn't be sure was whether he has any spies in the ministry. Of course we knew that some people like Malfoy are on his side. But it became clear recently that he has more spies than we suspected. We can't trust anyone. Amelia Bones was almost killed on two different occasions because someone leaked the information about her meetings. We suspect he has spies even inside the aurors. He didn't start this just recently; he has been planning the infiltration and executing it since that time he escaped on Halloween. He even persuaded the giants to join him. Poor Hagrid almost got himself killed bringing back his half-brother when Dumbledore sent him as an envoy to the giants."

James sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and messing it up even more. His face scrunched up, his eyes worried; he didn't know how they were going to survive this. He didn't want to lose this war not now when he got his son back. He decided that he would do anything and everything to end this war. And the way his son talked, James didn't have any doubt about the defeat of Voldemort.

The silence that fell after James' tale was broken by Remus who looked troubled "It feels like his big attack will happen soon and I fear that we will be overwhelmed by his numbers. It's not Death Eaters I fear about the most, it's the Dementors. Many of the adult witches and wizards, even the aurors lack the skill to produce a Patronus in those situations."

"Well from now on you don't need to worry about them as long as Harry is in the fight. You leave them to him" Hermione said with much pride looking at Harry "He drove off over a hundred Dementors when we were in third year itself. Now they wouldn't even dare to come near anyone once they taste his wand."

"You can produce a Patronus?" wondered Lily "and you drove off one hundred of them"

"Not just some silver light, he can produce a corporeal Patronus" said Hermione beaming "Do you want to tell your father what form it takes" she nudged Harry.

"It-It's a stag" Harry muttered glancing at his father from the corner of his eyes.

At this tidbit Sirius barked out a laugh, Remus beamed and Lily gasped and then a huge smile appeared on her face. For his part James looked stumped as his mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out. After a moment or two he too beamed in pride and his eyes were misty, he choked out "I too love you son"

Harry smiled brightly at this proclamation. "It was you who taught me the charm" he told Remus.

"I'm glad to know that." Remus smiled.

"You were the best Defence teacher we ever had" Hermione said. "And in our fifth year Harry taught many of us how to produce it and it really came in handy many times during the war."

"That's great to hear" said Lily "we are very proud of you sweetheart" she added as she kissed Harry on the cheek.

"Thanks mum" mumbled a blushing Harry.

"I hate to interrupt but I think you better get to the Great Hall for dinner James" Sirius said looking at his watch "if you want to avoid Dumbledore's crooked nose poking out of the fire place"

"Yes" nodded Harry in agreement "It is better you go, we have to think how we are going to introduce ourselves here and dealing with Dumbledore will be one hell of a job"

"Forget about others, if we don't tell your brother and sister first they are going to be so mad at us" Lily said "especially your sister, she's got to know everything."

"Do you think they will like me" asked Harry in a small voice.

"Oh Harry! They will love you'll see" Lily smiled "I bet you 50 galleons that they want to parade you down the halls and try to intimidate the students by showing off their big brother."

"Yeah and don't eat anything they give you" cautioned Remus with a smirk. "They are the best pranksters in Hogwarts ever. Even the twins admitted this openly"

"Yeah and who's encouraging them" Lily accused the three marauders.

Harry and Hermione laughed out loud at this little interplay as the others joined in.

"Enough laughing, we should leave now" Lily said getting up and pulling James along the way "We'll meet you back here Harry and Hermione. Sirius and Remus will go to the kitchens and bring you food. Stay here, don't let anyone see you" She bent down and planted a kiss on their foreheads and headed off to the Great Hall.

"I think there will be another staff meeting today" complained James as Lily dragged him out of the room.

"Tell me something about my room in the Grimmauld place" Sirius asked quickly and out of nowhere.

"Well you have muggle girls in bikinis to start with" replied Harry smirking "and they have a permanent sticking charm on them. Is it enough or do you want me tell the names of the girls and the details you wrote down in your secret diary hidden inside the bottom drawer too."

"NO! Just making sure that you were telling the truth" said a thoroughly embarrassed Sirius as Remus doubled over in laughter.

"Don't worry Padfoot your secret's safe with me" Harry said grinning.

"Ooh the dog has some secrets that we don't know" Remus said rubbing his hands gleefully "I think James would find this most interesting."

"You won't say a word to James about this" Sirius warned more like begged "He would tease me like hell. Please Moony, please"

"Fine. My lips are sealed" Remus said.

"Well, to the kitchens then" Sirius said cheerfully "It's been a long time since we went there. I hope Mippy has some good deserts for us."

"I hope we have apple pie today" Remus getting excited like a kid "If not I will ask Tipsy to make some. She always liked me when we were in school"

"No you will not" thundered Hermione "They already work so much as it is, for which they don't even get paid. And you want them to do more work! You will eat what they prepared and thank them for it."

"But Hermione they wouldn't mind" argued Remus.

"Don't argue with her about House-Elves Moony" Harry cautioned not letting Hermione go off on rant "She doesn't approve of their treatment and to an extent neither do I."

"Fine" Remus sulked.

"Merlin, Moony! Looks like we have another Lily in Hermione" Sirius said sighing dramatically.

This talk about elves brought back memories of his friend for Harry, the one who saved them from that retched place and gave his life in that fight "Have either of you heard about a house-elf named Dobby"

"Dobby?" Remus tried to remember "I am afraid not Harry. What about you?" He asked to Sirius.

"No" Sirius shook his head "We could ask the elves in the kitchen, usually they know about other elves too. Do you know who his master is?"

"It's that shite Malfoy" spat Harry.

"Malfoy!" Sirius exclaimed "What do you want to do with Malfoy's elf?"

"Well where I came from, he was a friend" Harry said with sadness "He died protecting us. I tricked Malfoy into freeing him and he was happy for that. Hagrid used to say he was a weirdo among the elves. You know how they are. They don't want to be free. But Dobby liked being free."

"Well he had the right to be free" Hermione asserted "We should get him out of there Sirius. They treat him horribly. They punish him physically."

"Well, no one but Malfoy can set him free. Maybe next time when we get a hold of that bastard we can make him free your friend." Remus suggested.

"Yeah. I hope it's soon though." Harry sighed "I don't mind inflicting pain on that fucker if need be."

"Harry, language!" scolded Hermione.

"Sorry" Harry said sheepishly "But really I won't back down if it means Dobby will be free."

"And I wouldn't want you to" assured Hermione.

"Don't worry pup we will help you" said Sirius ruffling Harry's hair.

"Come on, I am starving" Remus urged Sirius "We'll be back in a jiffy" He told the young Potters as the both marauders left the room closing the doors on their way.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

1. Well that's that. Thanks to all those who read, followed and fav-ed. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Please review and tell me if there are any typos or grammatical mistakes or anything that you think wasn't right. You can PM me if you want. Just ask me anything that you want know. You can check the progress of the story on my profile page.

2. I know I am not very good at writing but I am trying to do my best. I am not that good at descriptive writing, that's why you see more dialogue in my fics. There are so many great writers here; I can only hope to write something that is even half as good as theirs. Look at _TheQuillDragon's_ **Marked**. I don't think anyone has written Hermione like that. What a bold and beautiful character etching that is. And _JamesSpookie's_ **What We Are Fighting Fo**r. The way he writes Harry's confusion and Hermione's struggle is nothing short of brilliance. And _muggledad,_ he is like a power house of writing. I just hope he updates **Last Casualties **soon so that I can devour it. And _MADHarmony's_ recent and long due update of **Unlike a Sister** was a joy to read. There are so many others who write excellent stories and characters. There is _Driftwood1965_ who has written the funniest fanfic there is and his **Harry Potter and Future's Past** showcases his superb writing and plot ideas. Read _aadixon's_ **The Falling. **It has got a terrific story line with superb action. They all inspire me to write-even though they are light years ahead of me-some stories which I want to share with you.

3. Please suggest me some names for Harry's brother and sister and also for Hermione's parents and her sister. I am very bad in this, that's why I avoided using their names in this chapter.

4. Next chapter we'll be meeting Harry's siblings and Hermione's parents. Then we'll see how they deal with Dumbledore and how he reacts to this news.


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